August 29, 2008

.....Or So We Thought! (The Story of Sarah)

I feel the need to briefly pick up where I left off yesterday, the stress of my illness definitely took a toll on my marriage and almost immediately following my remission, Nick's father and I divorced......for reasons I will never explain here, they are private. We continue to live in close proximity and remain very amicable...we have an arrangement that works and Nick gets to spend time with both of us.

Nick and I were living on our own and my life seemed to be good, I was healthy and had an amazing son. About 2 years later is when I met my husband Pat. We fell in love quickly and knew that there would be marriage in our future.

As we got to know each other, the topic of children came up and this was one of my greatest fears going into a new relationship....Although Pat was 7 years older than I was, he had never been married and didn't have any children...he was raised in a large Irish Catholic family and is one of six siblings....I knew how important family was to him. I laid everything out on the table about my illness and inability to have children and his response...."I am open to other ways of expanding our family, we will figure it out.......when the time is right we will explore all of our options together" Did I ever mention what a wonderful man I married?

Pat and I married about 2 years after we met......soon after our wedding, we bought our first home.....it was a perfect starter home for a small family. As our first anniversary approached we were ready to expand our family....we decided to explore adoption.

I did a ton of research and we were pretty much headed in the direction of International Adoption.....Domestic Adoption seemed a little scary given our state laws and we had decided that Open Adoption was something we were not prepared to handle, so we landed on China.

Very soon after we decided on China, I started interviewing different agencies........after a few phone calls and in person interviews we had made our decision. I usually go with my guy instinct and I felt very comfortable with the agency we chose.

We started our Paperchase in January of 2006 and we were officially logged into China's system on May 12, 2006.....this is when the real wait began!!

It seemed my life was consumed with what was going on in China......the referrals came out each month and the wait grew longer and longer. We wanted to do a lot of things, like plan summer vacations, and possibly move into a larger home, but we always said....What if our referral comes? It seemed like our lives were on hold.....after some back and forth we decided to build a small addition on our home to help accommodate a new child without having to move!

At the last minute, we got scared and felt this wasn't he right thing to do.....at this point it looked as though the wait was going to continue to climb.....Pat and I decided we were going to build a new home.....we would definitely have time to get in and settled before we would have to go to China.

We were thrilled to be building our new home and I was happy to have something to take my mind off the wait! They broke ground in mid August and we were scheduled to move in the January of 2007! Everything looked to be on schedule.....we listed our home in October and it sold in 5 days! Our buyers were willing to wait until our home was ready....how perfect...I had visions of living with my parents until we could move in!

As we approached November our focus was on our house.....endless meetings with contractors to go over last minute changes and tons of shopping to furnish the inside of our home.

I remember this particular day like it was yesterday, I had picked Nick up from school and we were heading over to walk through our new house and I promised him ice cream afterwards! When we came out of the ice cream shop, I checked my phone....I had a voicemail....now this is where the story of Sarah begins.

The message I got was very matter of fact, I returned the call to hear about a domestic adoption opportunity.....I was in a state of complete shock and excitement!

Here there was a baby that was going to be born in the next couple of weeks that did not have a home and we were asked if we would consider adopting this baby.

I could not drive my car fast enough.....and as I was driving I kept calling Pat....he was at work and not answering his phone. I finally reached him once we got home.....I don't even remember what I said, but I must have been rambling....his response was not what I expected to hear. "Honey, our child is in China, we discussed this and we both agreed, open adoption is not for us"

I explained that I didn't have all of the info, but I was positive they were looking for a closed adoption.....they didn't want to know us, and they didn't want us to know them!

He came home from work and we decided that we would at least get more information before we made our decision......we had a meeting that Sunday and I was convinced that this was a sign and this child was meant to be ours. Pat was not so sure.....keep in mind he is a very cautious person...the call that we got was not expected and took us by complete surprise...I think he was a little scared!

It was a rough week of back and forth.....why we should or should not do this, after all there were a lot of risks involved.....We were both very concerned for Nick....to bring this baby home and make her a part of our family and not know if the birth parents were going to change their minds would have been devastating to us all.

I could not eat, I could not sleep, I could not function until I knew that we were both in agreement that this child was coming home to us......after many tears and conversations with everyone in our family and our parish priest, we decided we needed to put our fears aside and take this little girl.

We got the best adoption attorney we could find and got schooled very quickly about the laws of adoption in our state. Now it was time to wait.....we decided only to tell our immediate family incase anything happened. Everyone was excited and scared at the same time. According to the information, we had about 6 weeks before she was due to arrive. I could not bring myself to buy anything....I was so scared I would jinx myself. I would drive to baby stores all over town and just look at all the beautiful things I wanted to buy for my new baby girl.

The next week I was at work and telling my boss what was going on.....also gently telling him I was going to need 8 weeks off. As I started to tell him, my cell phone rang.......Sarah was on her way!!! I couldn't believe it......we were in his office screaming. Sarah was going to be born in a few short hours and I had nothing....not a diaper, not a bottle, nothing!!!

I immediately called Pat and the rest of our family......I drove home in record time.....went straight to the baby store and starting throwing things in my cart.....I had no idea what I was buying.....anything I could find.....I must have bought every pink outfit in the store....I think it was my favorite and best shopping trip ever!

Both Pat and I got home from work and although we could not see her, we were sent her very first picture.....isn't technology grand!!! We both fell in love the minute we saw her face...she was gorgeous and perfect in every way!

They thought that Sarah would be released the very next morning and she would be brought to us less than 24 hours old......the doctors did not let her go right away, so we got her the following morning....36 hours old and she was on her way to meet her Mommy, Daddy, and Big Brother for the first time!

What a glorious day....we were all dressed in pink waiting for her to come to our door.....I will never forget the small face that looked lost in that big baby carrier....she was so tiny and so beautiful......what a miracle she was.....the greatest gift anyone could ever ask for!

Our house was filled with a lot of excitement and visitors over the next few weeks....everyone coming to catch a glimpse of our new addition. I felt like I was on such a high....I barely slept or ate....I spent every waking second staring at the gorgeous child we were given.....I had to pinch myself often because I just could not believe she was ours!

The next 4 weeks were painstaking long as we crossed off each day on the calendar hoping to get to the 30 day mark when her birth parents could no longer legally contest the adoption.

We made it and boy did we celebrate when we reached this milestone......she was ours, we just needed to await our court date so we could get the official certificate!

Sarah was 8 weeks old and when we packed up our entire house.....she was such a great baby....she slept a lot and ate right on schedule. We would carry her room to room in her little seat so we could watch her sleep as we unpacked all of our things.

We were thrilled not to have an empty room waiting to become a nursery.....it was the only room we had not decorated, but when Sarah became part of our family that quickly changed.....her room was painted pink and green and awaited the beautiful furniture I had eyed up on one of my early shopping trips!

No one could have imagined as we looked to China for our child that we would have an opportunity like this.....we consider ourselves extremely blessed to have 2 beautiful and healthy children.

We talked with our agency at great length and we kept our dossier logged in for what will now be our third child!

Sarah's life has changed us and the dynamics of our family.....we are forever indebted to her birthparents....I think of them often....they have given us the greatest gift of all....the miracle of this beautiful child!

Here are some of my favorite photos of Sarah's first year!

The first day we met Sarah....a very proud brother and daddy!

Sarah's first day with us....this time Daddy is taking the picture!

I love this picture....Sarah is just days old and Nick is so proud...she looks like a little doll on his lap!

Learning to sit up.....a little unsteady, but long enough for Mommy to snap a picture!

Here I am in the court house....this was the day my adoption was final and official!

Almost enough hair to get a pony on top of my head!!

We were out to eat when this picture was taken....not lovin the bib, but her face and those ponytails are priceless!

August 27, 2008

....Nicolas Anthony(A Very Long, But Memorable Story)

A little over 11 years ago, I was buying my first home, with my then boyfriend, soon to be husband,(now ex-husband)Scott. It was a very exciting time in our lives, we were somewhat young and happy to be in a position to live in a house instead of renting an apartment. We were planning a wedding in the near future but there was no firm date set.

When we were least expecting it, I became pregnant! It did come as quite a shock to us, but as I always say, never question God's master plan......things happen for a reason. We decided to get a jump on the wedding because we both wanted to be married before our child was born. My Mom and I planned a wedding in less than 3 months and we were married in Sept of 1997.

Both of us were extremely excited about being in a new home, a new marriage and having a brand new baby on the way......no one could have prepared us for the life changing circumstances that we were about to be face.

A week after our wedding, I had an ultrasound and found out I was having a baby boy.....we were so excited.........we got a glowing report from the doctor that said he was a very healthy little boy with 10 fingers and 10 toes! I breathed a huge sigh of relief to know that everything was moving according to schedule! As soon as we let our family know we were about to give birth to a beautiful little boy, the major shopping began.....our first child, my parents first grandchild....enough said!!

Shortly after we found out that we were having a boy we painfully played the name game.....it took maybe two weeks and then we both agreed.....Nicolas Anthony!

A couple weeks later I went in for a routine check up.....they saw a spot on my cervix and ran some tests.....no one said too much, but I do remember the look on the doctor's face as I left the office.

The following week I got a phone call......"The Phone Call".....I will never forget this day as long as I live....I was home alone and my Mom was on her way over to have dinner with me, it was the week of Thanksgiving and my husband was hunting up at his families cabin, 1 hour North of us with no cell phone service.......The nurse called and asked me to hold on the line for the doc, he told me that I had Cervical Cancer......they had arranged for me to meet with an Oncologist, and a Neonatologist. My head was spinning at this point and the only thing I heard was "CANCER" honestly I hung up the phone and had two dates written on a piece of paper but I had no idea what it meant.....I paced back and forth for what seemed like hours, but it was only minutes. I kept looking out the front door for my Mom to pull up......I finally saw her car coming down the street and I went running down the drive way....I was half screaming half crying trying to explain to her what I had just been told!

The next couple of weeks were a complete blur to me, but the outcome was that I could not be treated for the cancer until I gave birth to my son, so collectively, my OBGYN, Oncologist, and Neonatologist had to decide what was in the best interest for me and my unborn child!

Everyone was in total agreement that I would not deliver naturally, it was too risky, I needed to have a C-Section. They also decided that it was too risky to let me go full term because they had no idea how invasive the cancer was at this point. So the next question was, "How early do we schedule her C-Section"

At 30 weeks I started going for a weekly Amniocentesis. Through this test, they could tell how developed Nick's lungs were......I went through this test three weeks in a row and they finally said, we can't wait any longer......you need to have this child and prepare yourself that he will be in the NICU until his lungs are ready!

They scheduled me for my C-section at 8am on January 19th, 1998. I was scared to death, with all that was circling my life at the moment the only thing I could worry about was this little baby boy.....he just had to be healthy.....I was so worried that my being sick was going to affect his life! The surgery went extremely well, they let both my Mom and my husband in the room so they could see Nick as he took his very first breath......it was so special to me to have my Mom with me.....she has always been my rock and I knew if she was there, I would be OK.

Nick entered the world at 8:38am....all 6lbs 4ozs, and 19 1/2 inches of him! To our amazement his lungs were not as bad as the doctors had anticipated. As soon as I got a quick glimpse of his little red face and head full of dark hair they whisked him away to the NICU to be hooked up to Oxygen.....although not horrible, he did still need some breathing assistance. He remained in the NICU for approximately 20 hours. My husband and family members could go in to see him, unfortunately I did not get to hold my son until the next day....I had some bad reactions to the Epidural and was very ill, so they gave me anti-nausea medicine that made me a little loopy so they would not let me get out of bed or go down to visit him....it was torture to know I had just given birth to this little boy and could not hold him in my own arms.

My time did come and it was so special.....early that very next morning, the nurses brought him to me, at this hour there was no one in my room except me, they said that he was doing great and off the oxygen so if I felt strong enough, I could keep him in my room.

At the very moment they put him in my arms, I did not have a worry in the world.....he was the most beautiful boy I had ever laid eyes on.....he was so tiny and I could not believe that I had produced such an amazing little baby!

I immediately called my Mom, who I knew I woke up, but knew that she wouldn't mind.....I remember her answering the phone and me just crying that I couldn't believe what a miracle this child was....at the time of my diagnosis, the doctors told me that if they had found the cancer any earlier in the pregnancy they would have recommended termination....something I could not fathom, especially as I held this perfectly healthy child and looked into those beautiful big eyes!

We had our short little stay in the hospital and then we were both released to head home! We had many visitors and it seemed like the house was constantly filled with family, friends, food, and laughter, but underneath all of the joy, there was still worry in everyone's eyes.......

The next couple months we strapped ourselves in for the beginnings of a huge roller coaster ride. I had a partial hysterectomy 4 months after Nick was born, they were convinced that they had removed all of the cancer, it was not in any lymph nodes and had contained itself in one area....they said that there was no need for Chemo or radiation......this was terrific news and my family was thrilled that we could finally put this behind us and I could concentrate on the true joys of Motherhood. As positive as this news was, there was such sadness in my heart knowing that I would never be able to conceive another child.

Caring for a little one and having been in and out of the hospital for surgery is no easy task, I am so thankful that my family rallied around us and helped in whatever way they could. My Mom practically lived with us and played a huge role in taking care of this precious little baby while I recuperated.

The next few months were filled with fun and laughter and many firsts for Nick.....he was such a cute and mild mannered baby.....he slept through the night like clockwork at 8 weeks! We could take him anywhere with us without worry, he was very well adjusted! I slowly went back to work and he would stay at Grandma's until I picked him up......we were back to a so called normal family life.

We celebrated his first Christmas, Birthday, and Easter....such wonderful memories. Shortly after Easter we started planning our first real summer vacation.....we had a boat so we rented a place up on a Lake for the week and had planned to go with 2 other families that boated with us during the summer months.

I had been going for my scheduled check ups every three months to make sure that I was still in the clear. My next checkup fell the same week we had scheduled our vacation so I called and pushed it back a week.

When I showed up for that check up I was about to hear the very words that every cancer patient dreads......"Your Cancer Might Be Back"

This time it was scarier than ever....I had a huge mass the size of a softball sitting on my left ovary, they could not confirm it was cancerous until I was on the operating table. I was scheduled in a matter of days and it was confirmed.......Stage III Ovarian Cancer.

I am not going to go into detail at the moment, but I was not so lucky this time around.....I was in and out of the hospital for the next year with surgeries, chemo treatments and illnesses as a result. I know that this was not easy on my beautiful boy, but he was one strong kid....he bounced from family member to family member while I got well.....coming to visit me in the hospital even though he was extremely scared to see his mommy so sick.

A good part of this year was spent in our home as I was too sick to go anywhere, we had home healthcare services in and out for a couple of months when needed....I was tired and weak, but Nick didn't care.....he was happy just to sit with his Mommy on the couch and play board games or watch his favorite movies....I think we watched 101Dalmatians so many times we ruined the VHS tape that very year!

Nick has flourished into such a little gentleman, a compassionate friend, and a wonderful big brother. There is not a day that goes by that I don't Thank God for this child........there are many people that wish to have children and for one reason or another,they cannot, I consider myself extremely blessed to have him in my life and could not imagine a single day without his beautiful smiling face!

Nick sitting in his favorite little car!

The first day of fishing season....Nick always attended with his Daddy!

A summer afternoon enjoying lunch on our boat!

Look at these cheeks......don't you just want to pinch them?

Nick and Eddie's first summer vacation together at the beach!

I debated all day whether or not to post this picture, but if Robin Robertscan go on live TV and share her story along with her bald head, than I can post this picture! There were many days spent on this couch.....my friends and family got very use to seeing me without my hair.....wigs are very uncomfortable and itchy....so this was the look, I had lost my hair, eyebrows, an even some of my eyelashes, but I still had this little boy to cheer me up and give me the will to pull through!

As you may or may not know, September is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.....I was digging through the archives of old printed photos to accompany this post and came across the journal that I kept while undergoing chemotherapy. In honor of this month, I will be sharing the details of my cancer with some of the passages from my journal.....it is such an important issue that is close to my heart and if I can help just one person, that will mean so much to me! I will also include all of the warning signs and symptoms to help catch early detection.

August 26, 2008

......Each Brought To Us In Their Own Miraculous WayOver the next couple of days, I am going to dedicate a post to each of my children discussing how they were brought to us in very different ways, but both very miraculous in my eyes.

Many of you have asked about the cicumstances that led to Sarah's adoption, and although the details are very private and won't be shared, I would like to share some of what was going in our lives when she became a part of our family.

Once someone knows that Sarah is adopted, the next question I usually get: Is Nick your bilogical son? or is he adopted too? Nick is my biological son, but his life is just as much a miracle as Sarah's.

Some of you know that I was extremely sick when I was pregnant with Nick. I continued to fight through my battle with Cancer for the first 2 and half years of his life and with the love and support of my wonderful family, he has grown up to be a very compassionate and well rounded child.

I will be digging deep into my heart to share some of the fondest memories and special moments that make each childs journey unique and special!

The different paths that we take to bring our children into our lives and complete our families is just amazing to me.........I have experienced 2 very different journies and look forward to our 3rd and final journey to bring our last child to her forever family!

August 25, 2008

This weekend most of the "Garlic" side of the family was in town to celebrate my cousins recent wedding. They had a private ceremony back in March and decided that they would just like to have a small family picnic. My Aunti Em and Uncle Roger hosted the wedding celebration for their daughter Saturday evening and it was beautiful.

The weather was spectacular......sunny and warm without the humidity! My Uncle Roger is very particular with his backyard and it looked fantastic.....a lot of attention to detail......the flowers were gorgeous and the lighting was just the perfect touch for this special occasion...it looked like paradise!

Everyone had such a good time.....even the little ones......they loved being able to run around the yard and they had a ball playing with the bean bag toss that was set up......Sarah kept very busy running the bean bags from one side to the other.....yes, running instead of tossing.......we might need one of those for our yard....it really tired her out!

My sister had a babysitter lined up for 8 o'clock at her house, so she packed up her two kids, and I packed up Sarah and we got them set up with the sitter. Then we returned to the party to enjoy the rest of the evening without having to chase after our kids every two seconds!

I am including more pictures than I normally do........I couldn't narrow down the selection............let's just say that by the time you finish viewing all the photos, you will have met most of the "Garlic" family!

We had someone take our picture together....we are usually the ones taking the pictures so it is not often that you see the two of us together in a picture!

My Mom and Sarah relaxing on the beautiful patio!

Cousin Danielle, the new bride, sharing a special moment with little Sarah!

SISTERS!!! My Mom with her sisters Betty and Emi! I forgot to have Mom take off the sunglasses!

COUSINS! A picture of all the cousins...the only cousin we are missing is Anthony, the one boy amongst all these girls.....My sister is the one in the blue dress!

The Boys!!! My sisters husband Matt, with his son Aidan, and Nick and Eddie. Just for the record, the boys are drinking birch beer...they think it is cool because the bottles look like real beer!!

The bride and groom, my cousin Danielle and her new husband Noel!

Sarah and I under the big beautiful tree! She is getting better about posing for the camera....except now she says "cheeeeeze" each time we try to take a picture and she makes a silly face.....but it is still cute:)

Sarah with her beloved bean bags.....she was so fascinated by them! Now if we could only teach her to actually toss them!

My nephew Aidan, he loved running down the hill in the backyard.....good thing for the fence or he would have kept going!!

Late night on the patio.....the women in this family are known to dance a little...cough cough....and everyone knows, that when the dancing starts, I tend to take center stage, old habits never die........Pat snuck the camera to try to get a picture of me doing some high kicks......he missed the kick, but I thought it was such a funny shot....everyone watching and laughing as I continued to kick like a rockette!!

So while the ladies are getting down, the men are all huddled around a computer....what on Earth are the watching.....they all look very fascinated....HMMMMM....what are they up to?

REMINDER: IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS YOU WOULD LIKE ME TO INCLUDE IN MY........100th POST Q&A........PLEASE LEAVE THEM IN COMMENTS. SEE MY PREVIOUS POST FOR THE DETAILS!

August 23, 2008

UPDATE: IT LOOKS LIKE A COUPLE OF YOU LIKE THE Q&A.....IT SOUNDS LIKE FUN....LEAVE ME YOUR QUESTIONS IN THE COMMENTS AND I WILL COMPILE AND ANSWER ALL OF THE QUESTIONS FOR MY 100TH POST. IF YOU DIDN'T ALREADY LEAVE ME ONE.....PLEASE DO.....CAN'T WAIT TO SEE WHAT QUESTIONS YOU COME UP WITH!

I have a couple different topics that I am going to roll into one post, so try to stay with me!

First, I am approaching my 100th Post...HOORAY! I wanted to do something special...not my average daily entry.....I have seen a couple people list 100 things about themselves, but honestly, I don't know if I could come up with 100 different things....that is a lot and I couldn't imagine writing it or reading it!

Since I am the one always choosing my post topics, I thought it would be fun to let you all tell me what you would like me to write about!

Any of you have ideas or suggestions for me?

I am completely open to suggestions and would love to hear what you can come up with. Please leave me a comment with your idea! If you come up with the winning idea....there is a little something special that will come your way...that part is a surprise!

Now that we have that taken care of.....More Fall Stuff!!!!

The other day when I filled my PB Jars, I remembered this container that I put out every fall.....it is my favorite......I think it is the saying that I really love..."Autumn, A Season Of Change" This came from my sisters store....she owned a very chic boutique that sold home decor as well as some handbags, jewelry, and some cool clothes! We were so sad to see her sell the store, but she did it for good reason.....she is now the Mommy of two beautiful little boys!

Anyway, here is the completed look! When I brought it upstairs from the basement it was empty.....a quick trip to the store to pick out some fall flowers and I put this little arrangement together!

How ironic that the container says "A Season Of Change".......notice the new beach picture in the frame next to it.....somehow there is part of me that can't let go of summer. I am willing to move into fall, but not ready to forget about the summer fun just yet!

August 20, 2008

I have decided instead of kicking and screaming about summer coming to an end....I am going to embrace the fall season. It is one of my favorite times of year. The leaves change, the weather cools a little bit, and it is time to pull out the sweaters, jeans, and boots.....one of my favorite fall looks!

Yesterday, I was able to knock off all of Nick's school shopping, we got the uniforms, the books, and the shoes....Hooray! Since we accomplished so much in one day, I decided I was going to start putting away some of my summer decor and bring out the fall stuff...nothing like a new look to boost your mood! I love changing the look of our home to match the seasons....especially for fall and Christmas.

So off I went digging in the basement....I didn't go hog wild, because I didn't have a lot of time, but I decided to start with my Pott.eryBarn jars. I purchased these last year and just love them....I keep them on my dining room table and change the fillers to go along with the seasons or holidays!

Here is a picture of our dining room....it was hard to get it at an angle that included the whole room, but this was the best I could do!

Here are the jars with my fall runner......they were wirth every penny, I have gotten some major use out of them!

I have only just begun....it is now an obsession....I can't wait to transform the rest of our house........stay tuned....I will be posting more pictures as the fall stuff comes out!

August 19, 2008

Somehow, it didn't hit me until this morning as I was driving into work.......I was feeling a little blue that our wonderful family vacation had come to an end, when all of a sudden I was hit with the harsh reality that our summer is almost over.....OH NO...tell me it isn't so!! How did it go so fast!

I should not complain because it has been a terrific summer and the kids have just had a blast, especially Nick, who is so thankful for all the time he and Eddie got to spend together. But I could not help but to feel a little twang as a realized the fun is almost over and the real work is just about to begin.....again!

Two weeks from today, I will be taking Nick to school for his first day and opening liturgy where we find out which teacher he will have for 5th grade. How is it, that as a Mother, I feel so nervous for the first day of school each and every year....it's as though I am the one attending. I think this is a common feeling and guess it is because we worry about our kids and always want the best for them.....and let's face it, growing up today is a lot harder, with much more pressure than when we were growing up.

Anyway, as I was sitting in my office trying to catch up with all of my clients and my boss, I started feeling slight palpatations of anxiety about all of the to-do's for back to school.

This week is going to be jam packed.....besides a full and crazy work schedule, we have dinner plans with friends visiting from out of town, and a picnic to celebrate my cousins wedding on Saturday evening....these are all fun events that I am looking forward to. That being said, I also have to schedule some time to stand online with a couple hundred other parents for school supplies, that must be purchased through our school bookstore and then make a trip to buy the special uniforms that must be purchased at a store that is literally the size of a shoe box with 3 sales people helping 50 people waiting for their child to get into a fitting room to try on uniforms....sounds like fun doesn't it!!!

Oh how I wish I was still sitting on that beach with my feet in the sand watching my children have the time of their lives!!!

I needed a little pick me up tonight, so after everyone went to bed, I indulged in a little photo editing fun, and decided to share a couple more(I know, you must be sick of our vacation photos by now, but I promise, this is it) of my favorite action shots from this past week at the beach!

This is my absolute favorite shot....this was taken last Monday after it poured for hours......finally around 3:30pm the sun came out and Nick, Eddie, Sarah and I decided to take a walk down to the beach....there was no one there and the sand was just perfect....barely any footprints in the sand, it looked so serene. Sarah just took off running, so I followed her snapping away. There is something about the expression on her face in this picture that just draws you in....It is hard to believe that the day before she screamed bloody murder because she hated the sand.....she was truly loving every inch of the beach that afternoon and it is a day I will never forget.....just me and the kids on that very calm and peaceful beach!

August 17, 2008

All good things have to come to an end, so we packed up and left Cape Cod this morning at 5am. The traffic can be pretty bad so we got up early to beat the rush and made it back home by about 10:30.

As much as we hated to leave, it is good to be home and get back into our daily routines again....even though that means going back to work tomorrow.....that will be tough after such a lazy week!

Coming home is always hard on Nick.....he is already missing Eddie and the rest of his cousins and is now facing the reality that summer is just about over and school is right around the corner.

Although the start to the vacation was rough for Sarah, she was really good......we had some really late nights after being on the beach all day and she hung in there with us.

We had a wonderful week with all of our family, but it just goes by too quickly and we never accomplish everything we set out to do.......the weather didn't help us either!

One of the things that I definitely wanted to do was a family picture on the beach to use for our Christmas cards......well, we put it off, because of the weather, it rained a lot at night and that is really the only good time to do this, so the picture took place last night and it was a mad rush and Sarah was dead tired.....so it was difficult to get her to cooperate with the camera. We got to the beach and guess what.....the storm clouds started racing in again.....so needless to say the pictures are not good enough for cards......here are two of the best shots...they are OK, but not Christmas card material:

Since I didn't get a chance to post since Friday morning, I wanted to share some of my favorite pictures of the last couple days of our vacation!Nick made this in the sand on Friday.....I thought it was so cute how the shovels and pail are in the corners.....he worked hard to keep it from collapsing!

Sarah eathing watermelon.......she picked up her cousins sunglasses......and would not take them off!

This is Pat's twin brother, Mike.....Sarah just loves him.....she snuggled with him for a couple of minutes on the beach....he kept her nice and warm!

Nick heading out to catch some waves......I love the look on his face....very determined!

Riding in on the boogie board! He had so much fun doing this......what a great workout....they were all exhausted when we got home from the beach each day!

Look at these houses on the water! This picture was taken from the beach where we shot our family photos last night.....the scene was breathtaking......oh how I would love to own a home with a view like that..........A girl can dream can't she?